eisenhower took texas by 200,000 votes in 1956. the republicans were strong in texas. and eisenhower had also carried four other southern states. kennedy knew-- and he was right-- if he didn't carry texas and get back some of the southern states, he wouldn't win. >> rose: so johnson in effect helped elect kennedy. >> that's one of the forgotten, absolutely forgotten chapters. because johnson makes a campaign through the south. he does an old fashioned whistlestop campaign. he pulls into all these southern towns. the yellow rose of texas is blaring. and the volume is turned up by bobby baker, his secretary of the senate, so it would pull into town and johnson would start speaking, you know, anded he'd give a speech, "we have to have a southerner on the ticket. let's not let the south be forgotten." the train would pull away. johnson wouldn't be finished talking. he once said in a town named cullpepper, as the train is pulling out he said, "what did dick nixon ever do for cullpupper?" >> rose: so they're elected and that begins the period you also chronicle here of what?